Judge to hear arguments in Big Island GMO lawsuit

HONOLULU (AP) - A federal magistrate judge will be hearing arguments in a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Hawaii County's law restricting the use of genetically modified crops.

Big Island agriculture groups and farmers filed a lawsuit in federal court in June seeking to overturn the law, which went into effect in December.

Thursday's hearing will be on the plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, which argues that the law is invalid on the grounds that it's pre-empted by federal and state law.

The Hawaii County case is before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren. He's the same judge who ruled in August that a Kauai County law requiring companies to disclose their use of pesticides and genetically modified crops is invalid. He said the Kauai ordinance is pre-empted by state law.

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